Connecticut western news., 1887-07-13
GLADSTONE'S LAST APPEAL.
"A Masterly Analysis of the Govern
 ment's Coercion Bill.

In the House of Commons on 8 motion be- ing made for the third reading of the Crimes bill MT. Gladstone, amid prolonged cheers, made counter motion that the bill be read third time that day three months. Mir. Glad stone said the bill was tho Conservative altern- ative to home rule, and, therefore, bore diff ferent aspect from any ordinary coercion bill. The old coercion measures had been aimed at crimes only, but this new one, passing beyond crime, aimed at societies. Further, the bill had been brought in without any foundation such as had under.aid all former coercion bills based on the existence of exceptional crime.
 Mir. Gladstone maintained that the increase of crime i'll 1886 over 1885, in view of the agri cultural distress in Ireland, was exceedingly small Comparing statements of the officials of the Tory Government in power in Ireland in 1885 with those in power the first five mon hs in 1887, there was a marked decrease i'll the amount of agrarian crime. Yet ill 1885 they had refrained from introducing a coercive measure from motives of pohcy. compari- son of past and present statistics afforded no shadow of justification for the present measure.
 Another contrast was that past Parliaments had been nearly unanimous in assentinS to CO., ercion, while this bill was opposed by large minority in the House and by a majority of the people of the country-a majority that Was not likely to diminish. If Parliament retained any regard for the traditions of liberty or of party usages the measure would be abandoned.
 What would they urge to warrant such an invasion of the peoples liberties? {? While re- senting the imputation that the Liberals had done the same thing, he would admit that past measures had been failures. Among the diff ferences between the past and present was the master of the whole law and right of associa- tlon. In the present century such proposal was an outrage upon every principle of public duty. Moreover, new offenses were created under the measure. The Attorney General for Ireland had admitted, and it was too late to deny it, that the bill aimed at the suppress sion of exclusive dealing. That was far more pardonable in the weak and poor than ill the rich and powerful, but it was the exclusive dealing of the poor against the strong at which the bill aimed. If 8 new crime were created the measure for its suppress ion should operate impartially. The Government did not dare to lift finger in defense of the sugges- that it apply to England provision such as 1t was forcing upon Ireland. He contended that the Government was bound to extend to the occupiers of land ill Ireland 8 perfect equality with English trades unions as regards the rights and practices enjoyed by the latter. among which combination and exclusive deal ing were sanctioned.
 In conclusion Mir. Gladstone said that Ire land, after 70 years of oppression and wrong, was in a state of misery and wretchedness. In the whole British Empire, he said, there was not square yard of land which England held by force alone except in Ireland, where force alone was employed. Enthusiastic cheers from tho Irish benches.] Ireland was held by mastery, but the Government refused to learn that mastery involved responsibility. They knew that the whole literature of tho world was against them. He challenged the Government to mention any authority who had reviewed the relations between England and Ireland without arriving at a home rule solution. The Tories professed to bo fighting for the;union of the empire, fight in which the Liberals joined The Liberals held that the charge of disunion was ridiculous. It was evident that the present state of affairs could not last long. as Mr. Gladstone believed that every day tended to bring the Tories nearer their doom.